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The differences between set up technicians and software support technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a set up technician and a software support technician. Additionally, a software support technician has an average salary of $79,670, which is higher than the $36,486 average annual salary of a set up technician.
The top three skills for a set up technician include hand tools, CNC and safety procedures. The most important skills for a software support technician are customer service, troubleshoot, and java.
| Set Up Technician | Software Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $36,486 | $79,670 |
| Hourly rate | $17.54 | $38.30 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 53,072 | 117,059 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Set up technicians are skilled employees who assemble and disassemble manufacturing machines as well as perform preventative maintenance to ensure that the manufacturing firm can produce high-quality products. These technicians must inspect products so that they can locate malfunctions in machine operations and then inform their supervisor about the repairs needed. They must observe production equipment to ensure its correct operation and collaborate with the engineering team to adjust the equipment when needed. Set up technicians must also assist in teaching new operators about the firm's standard operating procedures of production equipment.
A software support technician is responsible for resolving software application issues, diagnosing related system failures, and writing resolution reports for reference. Software support technicians must be highly-familiarized with the system's infrastructure and interface to immediately diagnose malfunctions and identify maintenance techniques to prevent the reoccurrence of downtimes and delays. They also assist the system engineers in the configuration and optimization of networks, including the installment of upgrades and patch updates. A software support technician must have excellent organizational and communication skills, especially in navigating computer tools and applications to create support tickets and fix the customers' issues efficiently.
Set up technicians and software support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Set Up Technician | Software Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $36,486 | $79,670 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $46,000 | Between $55,000 And $113,000 |
| Highest paying City | Manchester, NH | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Zoetis | RSM US |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Finance |
There are a few differences between a set up technician and a software support technician in terms of educational background:
| Set Up Technician | Software Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | - | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between set up technicians' and software support technicians' demographics:
| Set Up Technician | Software Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.1% Female, 9.9% | Male, 73.8% Female, 26.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 8.9% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 12.4% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |